An example of an electronic transaction is an online purchase of a product or service which charges a user's credit card or bank account. Another example of an electronic transaction is a wire transfer which sends funds from one bank account to another bank account.
To effectuate an electronic transaction, a user typically logs onto a computer and runs a program (e.g., a web browser, an institution-specific graphical user interface, etc.) which communicates with a remote institution that carries out the electronic transaction (e.g., an online store, a financial institution website, etc.). At some point during the process, the remote institution may send a notification email message to the user's computer informing the user that the institution has handled that particular electronic transaction.
To effectuate another electronic transaction, the user communicates with another remote institution (or perhaps the same institution) via the user's computer in the same manner. Again, at some point during the process, the user may receive a separate (i.e., second) notification email message informing the user that the institution has handled the second electronic transaction.